Wbbm, Wls Neck And Neck On Tv News

May 29, 1987|By Steve Daley.

The 10 p.m. news long has been the prestige vehicle in Chicago television, as well as the principal moneymaker for the three network-owned stations. Results of the May ratings ``sweeps`` supplied by the A.C. Nielsen service indicate that the competitive edge in the late newscast is sharper than at any other time in the last 18 months.

WBBM-Ch. 2 and WLS-Ch. 7, which has dominated all local newscasts for the last year, are locked in a virtual tie for weeknight newscasts in Nielsen at 10 p.m. At the close of the ratings book, Channel 7 had a 15.0 rating and a 24 share, while Channel 2 had earned a 14.9 and a 24 share. WMAQ-Ch. 5 had a 12.5 rating and a 20 share.

In Chicago, a rating point represents 30,000 TV households; a share indicates the percentage of sets in use tuned to a particular broadcast.

The 10 p.m. result signals a leveling off in Channel 7`s continuing rathings growth. The late ``Eyewitness`` newscast lost slightly more than a rating point and 2 share points from May, 1986, and 3 share points from the February, 1987, sweeps.

Channel 2, which continues to suffer with its 4:30 broadcast, has rebounded from the November sweeps, when its 10 p.m. newscast collected a 12 rating and a 21 share for third in the market.

Since then, WBBM has gained about a share point a month in its late newscast. Its May, 1987, Nielsen figures at 10 p.m. are now the same as a year ago.

``We had to hit bottom before we started to build,`` said Johnathan Rodgers, vice president and general manager of Channel 2. ``When we hit bottom last November, we got used to the idea we had to try to improve the product.`` WLS continued to dominate the early newscasts, with an 11 rating and a 23 share at 6 p.m., more than 10 share points ahead of the competition, except for WFLD-TV-Ch. 32`s ``Three`s Company,`` an 18 share in that time slot.

Channel 7`s 4-5 p.m. newscast collected an 8.3 rating and a 23 share, while its 5-5:30 broadcast had an 8.7/22. Both were up slightly from a year ago.

Channel 5`s 4:30 newscast gained a pair of share points over last year, and its 6 p.m. show, with new anchors, picked up 1 share point. The 10 p.m. newscast on Channel 5 gained a share point in Nielsen as well.

Part of Channel 7`s problems at 10 stem from poor programming lead-ins from ABC between 9:30 and 10.

Another factor at 10 p.m. has been the resurgence of the Chicago Cubs on WGN-TV-Ch.9. Seven weeknight Cubs games have cut into the news audience share for all three owned-and-operated stations; ratings for Cubs games in May are up significantly over last year.

While figures from the Arbitron ratings service offer slightly different data for Channels 2, 5 and 7, (with Channel 7 leading in all newscasts) only Channel 5 currently maintains a contract with Arbitron. Thus, Channel 2 and Channel 7 cannot use that data.